


Toujou and Hooch

by Nozoroomie



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: Au where Nozomi has had a friend before Otonoki and it's in the form of a giant dog, Family Fluff, I have a lot of feelings, featuring cameos of a ton of pets of my friends and my own lmao, fic where nozomi's parents aren't terrible and care about her a lot, in its 7k word glory, pre Otonokizaka, the au I never thought I'd write a fic for but here it is, they care so much!!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-10
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-11-12 08:11:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11157798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nozoroomie/pseuds/Nozoroomie
Summary: Nozomi's parents decide this year for her birthday, they want to do something a little different and help find her the best gift of all- a new friend.





	Toujou and Hooch

**Author's Note:**

> HAPPY BIRTHDAY NOZOMI!!! IT's still ur birthday somewhere and technically I did have this done in time just not posted!! I love u with all my heart and you'll always be at the top of my best girls!! 
> 
> And more importantly thank you @ Strawberrybats for giving this a quick beta for me when I was in dire need!! I'm love you! and @ Icaruswings87 for the title (A reference to Turner and Hooch sdkjnfjd)
> 
> All the animals in this fic except for Kuma, the lab and the pugs are based off of my friends actual pets who I LOVE AND ADORE!! WITH ALL MY HEART!  
> Names and descriptions of each pet will be in the end notes!
> 
> As a final note, I want to stress that I wanted Nozomi to have a good relationship with her parents in this story. It's important to me that even if we have no canon content of Nozomi and her parents, that there are more fics that have her with a good relationship with them. 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy the story!!

“We’re here!” Nozomi’s father announces as they pull into the parking lot.

 Nozomi blinks in surprise. As per tradition, every year if her parents worked on her birthday, they would take her out for her birthday dinner the day before. She glances around to try and find the restaurant, but all she can see is the local animal shelter. She quirks her eyebrow as her father gets himself out of the car and puts his hands on his hips as he stares at the building.

 “Are we at the right place?” She asks her mother, who still sits in the car with her, “I thought we were going for Yakiniku?”

 “We are!” Her mother reassures. “It’s just- well, your father and I wanted to get you a special gift this year.”

 Special? She couldn’t mean…

 “You wanted to get me a pet?!” Nozomi asks, bewildered at the idea. 

 Her mother gives her a cheeky grin before exiting the car. Nozomi stays inside it, unsure how to feel. The idea of having a pet isn’t something she’s never thought about, but years ago her parents had told her it wasn’t the right time. She’s always accepted she wouldn’t be able to have any kind of pet until she was older if she still wanted one. She worries her lip a little, unsure how to feel about the gift idea. She eventually gets out of the car and with slow steps she follows her parents inside.

 The shelter is surprisingly dim, completely different from the bright and sunny exterior of the building. Nozomi pauses in front of a bulletin board with a lot of cutesy posters. Reminders of flea season with different treatments listed, a couple fliers advertising some animal daycares. There’s a small laminated sign with a cartoon child and a cat hugging, advertising to adopt and not to shop when it comes to animals. She looks on uninterestedly and finds a donations box set up not too far away from it in the lobby, and a little display case with specific shelter goods you can buy where all proceeds go to helping the animals that are currently housed at their shetler.

 Her eyes glaze over all these little displays towards the other exits of the lobby- one has a sign with a cat’s head on it, pointing towards a room not to far down it with big windows. There are several different size cages inside and Nozomi can only assume that must be the room where they keep their adoptable cats. She glances to the other side to find another hallway with a sign, pointing towards a door at the end of the hall. Displayed on that sign is a rather happy looking puppy with its tongue out. It’s easy to determine that must be the kennel for all the dogs.

 She can hear her mother calling her name and it brings her from her trance. She moves herself towards the receptions desk, where a happy middle aged secretary smiles at her with fake happiness. A smile Nozomi is quite familiar with. She returns it with one of her own and her mother begins to explain what she and the secretary talked about.

 “This is Hibiki-san, Nozomi.” Her mother says, introducing her. “She’s going to help you find the perfect animal to bring home.”

 The sentence unsettles Nozomi a bit. She’s still uncertain she even wants a pet as a present. What difference can a pet make for a girl unable to make real friends? If she can barely adjust to their constantly moving life style, how will an animal? She humours her mother, since it’s something her parents decided together for her and she really does want to have the best experience possible.

 “It’s nice to meet you, Nozomi! I hope we can find the perfect pet for you!” Her voice -unlike her smile- carries a tone of genuine excitement and Nozomi can only nod as her response. She may have judged the woman a bit too soon.

 “Which animals did you want to look at first?”  Hibiki asks, stepping from behind the desk and standing between the two corridors. “Did you want to look at all the kitties we have available? Cats are quite popular among young girls. They’re cute, small, cuddly and while they all have their unique and different personalities, they love you unconditionally in a way no other pet can.”

 Still quiet, Nozomi thinks about it. Cats are very cute. Many girls in her class talk about having a cat at home. Some speak quite fondly, while others talk about how their cat did something they weren’t supposed to. She decides to head towards the room of cats and from outside the glass she looks in at them all. Hibiki stands by the door with a patient gaze and Nozomi’s parents stand just behind her, looking into the room curiously with wavering smiles.

 “What do you think Nozomi?” Her father asks in his deep, baritone voice. “Want to go inside and take a look at all the cats?”

 She looks on, seeing all the cats fine from her spot at the window. A few notice all of them outside and are active, meowing at the doors of their crates and attempting to gain their attention. There are a couple that keep to themselves inside, their backs turned and uninterested in everything going on around them. Some cages are empty and cleaned- a good sign.

 “Come on, let’s take a look inside.” Hibiki says, opening the door and gesturing the family to enter. 

Nozomi reluctantly follows her parents, being engulfed by the smell of cat food and the hint of fragranced litter. She scrunches her nose to the unfamiliar scents. Immediately Nozomi’s parents move towards different cages in the room, paying attention to the needy cats that call out to them. Nozomi stays closer to her mother, glancing at the playful fluffy kitten that swats at the finger she uses to poke through the cage. Her mother laughs lightly.

 “What a playful little girl you are~” She coos.

 Inside the same kennel is a darker gray cat, much bigger and sticking close to the back of it. She has darker coloured stripes and the amount of fat around her almost makes Nozomi laugh. She snores quietly atop the towel and Nozomi glances at the sign on the kennel to see both the cats inside have been adopted and will be taken home eventually. Not wanting to get attached, Nozomi moves over to where her father stands and looks at a couple cats in front of him. One is an older orange coloured cat. He too has been adopted, but he makes sure to keep himself away from the entrance.

 “Looks like this big guys a bit shy, huh Nozomi?” Her father points out, trying to see if she’s even remotely interested in the cats.

 “I guess. I think his future home will be happy to have him though.” She points towards the adopted sign and her father blinks surprised, a bit embarrassed he hadn’t noticed that first.

 Of the cats available for adoption, Nozomi notices a couple domestic shorthairs that catch her eyes. Both are shy and pay no interest to her, but she’s amazed at the amount of fat yet another cat there has. She quirks her eyebrow and reads the sign out front of her cage that gives her small details about the cat. She frowns seeing the note saying not good with children and immediately moves her attention to another cat that has an interesting colour scheme with lots of oranges, greys and white a bit similar to a calico. The playful cat seems to be having a good time with a pom pom.

 When she becomes uninterested in the two of them, Nozomi moves on to see a solid grey cat asleep inside her cage. She looks cozy and soft, but Nozomi doesn’t feel any sort of connection between her and the animal. The final cat she looks at is just below her. He’s a black and white tuxedo looking cat, eating from a bowl with different sushi pieces decorating it. He looks up from it to Nozomi with uninterested eyes. Nozomi feels like she understands this cat on a personal level- they both feel the same about each other.

 “I’m not so sure.” Nozomi eventually says. “The cats are nice but…” 

 She lets her voice trail off and her parents can tell her answer. They’re cute, but not for her. Her father smiles and claps a hand on her shoulder.

 “That’s okay. We’re not here to find just any pet. We’re here to find your new friend. If we can’t find any that speaks to you, then it just means we need to look a bit harder, right?” 

 For the first time since they arrived, Nozomi can feel herself light up a little bit. She’s happy that her parents are okay if she ends up leaving without picking a pet. Her birthday will still be good regardless, and it makes her even happier to know that they want to support her with whatever choice she makes. She moves towards the door of the room and Hibiki pulls it open for her, letting her exit first.

 “Well, I guess that just leaves our dogs!” She says in a chipper voice.

 The small group makes their way from the room full of cats towards the hall with the door. The big, steel door that would lead them into the kennel. Nozomi can feel herself growing a bit nervous- she’d never been inside a room full of dogs before. Would they all be friendly? Would they be mean? She wonders if Hibiki’s presence will have an effect on how the dogs behave. The first door is pushed open by the shelter worker, a small creaking coming from its hinges and revealing a tinier room with a second door leading towards the kennel. The jarring noise is loud enough to startle some of the dogs and Nozomi winces when a chorus of loud, alarmed barks come from behind the other door.

 “Sorry about the door, we have to replace a couple hinges. But don’t fret! The dogs will calm down shortly.” Hibiki tries to laugh off the barking and pushes open the second door. Nozomi can feel one of her father’s hands resting on her shoulder again meanwhile her mother gently pats her head. Their small reassurances help her nerves and she follows Hibiki into the kennel with small foot steps.

 The barking is loud for a short moment before the dogs quiet down seeing people entering the room. Nozomi blinks in surprise as she looks around  to find many large sized kennels surrounding the outside walls, all meant for dogs of every size. In the center of the room are six more smaller kennels, meant to house dogs medium sized or smaller. Towards one side of the room is a door that exits to the shelters small yard, where the dogs are taken out to do their business and for small moments of play time.

 “We have quite a few different pooches here, and some of them have very specific needs. There’s only two I’ll advise you to avoid. They’re both larger dogs in the corner over there- one is a german shepherd and the other is a yellow lab. Both dogs aren’t very good with kids and would do well in an environment with a mature couple, or a family with older teens.” 

 Hibiki’s explanation goes half unheard as Nozomi takes a few more steps into the room, taking a glance at the first kennel in front of her. Inside is a smaller dog, one she assumes to be a chihuahua or terrier of sorts. He looks at her with big soulful eyes, wagging his small tail when he notices her attention is on him. Nozomi smiles a bit seeing the excited little pooch, but glancing at the clipboard in front of his kennel shows him he too is one of the many lucky animals that has already been adopted.

 “Lots of animals already have homes huh?” She asks, glancing to the shelter worker. Hibiki pauses her speech and smiles sheepishly.

 “It’s true. Sometimes people can’t take pets home the day they adopt-- they often have to make sure they’re prepared and have the right types of food, supplies, everything that comes with owning pets. So we usually end up keep the pets for an evening or two until their new family can bring them home.”

 Nozomi notices an additional note on the clipboard in front of the kennel. It’s a small post it, saying ‘ask about my story!’ Curiously, she glances over to the kennel across from it, that homes a sleeping pooch with the name “Chance” on the clipboard. Aside from that there isn’t anything about his adoption information, just his name. Underneath it is a small post it that says the same thing, and Nozomi looks to the shelter employee.

 “Does every dog here have a story?” She asks.

 “Of course! With our cats -more often than not- they’re found as strays, but most of our dogs have arrived from previous homes. Chance there is the exception- he was brought here this morning and thanks to his dog tags, we were able to contact his family. He traveled a long way from his home but they’ll be on their way to pick him up later today.”

 Nozomi’s father chuckles as she watches the lab mix roll onto his back as he snores.

 “Quite a story behind him, despite not being available for adop-.”

 “Oh my goodness!”

 Nozomi’s mother’s enthusiastic cry brings everyone’s attention away from the sleeping dog to a different kennel just down the way. She turns excitedly over to Nozomi and waves her over, wanting her to come take a look at the dog she stands in front of. Nozomi takes the few steps over to her and peers into a cage where two playful pugs fight for her mother’s attention. Nozomi’s nose scrunches up a little as her mother coos at the little pups. Does she find them adorable?

 “Look at these little guys! They’re so small and their noses are so cute!” Her mother is clearly in love with the tinier dogs, but Nozomi can’t see the appeal. Her father seems to feel the same.

 “I don’t know, dear. Dogs with noses like that tend to have breathing problems.”

 “While that is true, these pups are-”

 Nozomi tunes out Hibiki as she tries to show her father the appeal of the smaller dogs. Sure, they might have their own charm, but they’re not anything Nozomi finds endearing. None of the dogs seem to be. She steps away from the group and wanders farther down the row of kennels. She passes by the german shepherds kennel, remembering Hibiki’s warning and deciding to pay no mind to her or the lab in the kennel next to hers. She frowns more as she passes by another couple adopted dogs- one an older, rottweiler mix and the other a young border collie of sorts. She stops at the end of the rows of kennels and sighs, glancing back to where her parents and Hibiki chat in front of the pugs.

 She understands her parents good intentions, but it’s useless. All the animals here are precious and they all deserve loving homes, but Nozomi doesn’t think theirs is the right choice. All these dogs deserve families and people who will be there to love and take care of them. It’d only be Nozomi around to take care of them more often than not, and she knows how long days at school can be. She isn’t apart of any extra curriculars but she can imagine if she were they might be a problem too.

 She sighs again, realizing it all sounds like excuses to avoid the responsibilities that come with having a pet. From behind her, she can hear a deep sounding exhale, echoing her sigh from earlier. She turns towards a kennel on the wall and is surprised to find a large dog lying down with it’s back facing her and it’s front facing the far wall of it’s kennel. She steps closer to the kennel, approaching it with caution and scanning the insides of it. The food remains untouched in the corner and there are a few toys lying on the ground that look like they’ve barely played with. Everything about this dog shouts sad and lonely and for some reason, that just makes Nozomi even more interested in it. She glances at the clipboard and reads the basic information outloud to herself.

 “Name: Kuma. Sex: Male. Age: assumed one year?!” She has to glance in the kennel to make sure she’s seeing it right. A dog of his size, only about a year old?! Her eyes are sparkling with more curiosity as she reads over the rest of the information on the clipboard until she gets to the little post it that says “ask about my story!”

 She glances over to her parents, who still stand by the pugs talking with Hibiki. She opens her mouth to speak but stops herself, slowly closing it. She turns her attention back to the dog and she frowns. Does his story matter that much? She finds herself crouching down in front of the kennel and becoming more level with the dog that lies feet away from her. She watches him with curious eyes, the small twitch of his back leg, the way he takes another deep breath and sighs-- she wonders if maybe he’s a bit bored?

 "Ah, looks like you’ve found Kuma.” Nozomi almost jumps in surprise when Hibiki approaches from behind her. Nozomi turns to look at the shelter worker, who has a concerned frown etched on her face. It makes Nozomi even more curious about the dog.

 “Is there a reason he’s so... sad?” It’s Nozomi’s mother who asks this, looking into the kennel and frowning at the form of him.

 “He might just be tired, dear. Lots of people probably wanna take a look at him all the time.” Nozomi’s father says, wanting to hope it’s not very negative.

 The expression Hibiki makes tells Nozomi otherwise. She looks from her to the dog that pays no attention to the group staring at him.

 “Hibiki-san?” She says rather timidly. “Can we know his story?”

 Her parents share a look and watch as Nozomi steps closer to the kennel. Her mother frowns and her father looks a little pained, not knowing what to say. Hibiki grabs Kuma’s clip board and reads over her information as a bit of a distraction for herself as she recalls the tale.

 “Kuma was found close by an empty house in the rural community about two months ago,” Hibiki begins, “We assume his owners moved and left him with the house. He had been tied up to something, but managed to break the chain that held him to the dog house.”

 Her heart almost breaks and she looks into the kennel at the dog. He’s adjusts the way he lays away from them and he now has his head up, listening to the group. She glances back to Hibiki who continues to tell his story.

 “We interact with him everyday and he’s a very sweet boy. He’s shy and a bit hesitant at first but give him a bit of time and he’s just a big curious ball of fluff. His past owners did leave an impression on him and he can get a bit anxious around other dogs, but we’ve introduced him to many of our other dogs here and he’s slowly been able to get along with them. It’s just a work in progress.”

 Nozomi doesn’t understand why such an ideal dog hasn’t been adopted yet. He could be everything a family wants if he was just given a chance. When that thought hits her, she realizes maybe the reason he hasn’t gotten a family yet is because fate wanted them to meet. Maybe Kuma was meant to be with her. Her uncertainties about getting a pet seem to melt away the more Nozomi thinks about how she wants to spend time with him.

 She looks to her parents to see their thoughts, but their expressions are solemn. The dog’s backstory has left them thinking. She can feel Hibiki watching her and Nozomi can see her knowing smile from the corner of her eye.

 “Would you like to take Kuma outside and play with him?” She asks her. Nozomi’s mouth opens and then closes, and she turns back to her parents for permission. They share their own glance and her father gives her a curt nod. For the first time since they’ve entered the shelter Nozomi feels excited and she gives Hibiki her reply.

 “Yes please!” 

Hibiki smiles and steps over to a hook on the wall not too far from them that holds a single leash with a large sized collar attached to it. Nozomi moves from the kennel door closer to her parents and she watches as Hibiki opens up the kennel. The sound of the locks clicking makes Kuma turn his head away from the wall and over to them and Nozomi finds herself inhaling sharply when his eyes find her.

 “Hey there big guy, wanna go outside?” Hibiki greets him, stepping inside and closing the door behind her. Kuma looks away from Nozomi at to Hibiki and -with what looks like reluctance- pushes himself up off of his bed. He steps over to her and she clips the collar around his neck. Soon the two of them are walking back over towards the exit and Nozomi can feel a bit of anxious feelings mix in with her excitement. 

The small family follows the worker and the dog outside. Just by the door is a large tupperware bin that has several different kinds of dog toys- some more worn than others. Hibiki gestures to the bin and tells Nozomi to grab whichever toy she’d like while she let’s Kuma do his business in a different area of the yard. Nozomi scans through them and picks out a multicoloured rope toy. Not far away she can see her parents watching her with fond gazes and she smiles. She can hear Hibiki and Kuma approaching her and she looks over to find Kuma has perked up a little, enjoying the outdoors much more than his stuffy kennel and becoming more interested in Nozomi. 

“Are you gunna say hi, Kuma?” Hibiki asks the dog, who stays close to her side. He eyes Nozomi carefully, unsure of what to choose.  

Remembering something from long ago when meeting an old neighbor's dog, Nozomi closes her hand in a small fist and holds it out just barely for him. She makes sure to focus on a different part of Kuma’s body away from his face and eyes and she waits. Kuma hesitantly moves forward, sniffing the air around her fist and examining Nozomi. Hibiki and her parents watch as he moves away from her curled fingers to the toy she holds in her opposite hand, sniffing it and all the other dogs scents that cover it. He soon moves from the toy to Nozomi’s feet, sniffing them carefully and moving himself closer to her. Nozomi almost laughs at how he licks at a spot on her shoe for some reason. He lifts his head back to the toy and his tail wags a bit. Nozomi has a good feeling about this.  

Hibiki leans over, unclipping the leash from his collar and smiles. 

“Looks like he’s ready to play! Throw the rope for him and he’ll probably bring it back. No promises on if he’ll give it to you though.”

 Nozomi lifts her hand with the toy and she watches Kuma’s head look up, his big brown eyes locked on the rope. She throws it forward and Kuma turns around, watching it fall onto the grass a few feet away. His tail wags a bit more and he clumsily pushes himself towards it, trotting from in front of Nozomi to the rope. Nozomi moves from her parents into the yard more and Kuma meets her halfway, bringing the rope with him. When she reaches to take it Kuma tilts his head away from her, not wanting to relinquish it. Nozomi smiles a bit. 

“You don’t wanna give me the rope, Kuma?” She asks. Kuma steps away from her a bit and Nozomi follows, not wanting him to get too far. “Ah! Come back!”

 He leads her to a different part of the yard were something in the grass distracts him. He drops the rope and begins sniffing the area and Nozomi quickly grabs it before he realizes what he’s done. Kuma can hear her moving and his head turns to her. He see’s her with the toy and his tail wags a bit, ready to grab the toy again.

 Nozomi decides to have a little fun with him and she lifts it, waving it in the air to make sure that his focus is only on the rope itself. He steps a bit impatiently with his front paws and his tail wags a bit more. He makes an eager sounding whine and Nozomi laughs, bringing her arm forward at a swift pace. Kuma is quick to turn and run, headed for where he believes the toy will land. Unluckily for him, Nozomi’s hand is still wrapped around the rope and she quickly hides it behind her back, laughing a bit when Kuma has troubles finding where the rope went. She grins when he walks in circles and makes the connection the toy hasn’t been thrown. He looks up to her and she brings it forward, lifting it up and laughing as he begins to dash back over to her. Once he’s back she decides to toss it again for him and this time he makes sure the toy actually leaves her hands before bounding after it. 

They play like this for a while, Nozomi managing to get him to give her the toy after a while and the two of them running around the yard without a care in the world. The more they play, the more Kuma warms up to Nozomi, trying to hop up and reach the toy at times as she holds it away from him. She laughs every time and always turns herself away from him.

 When she’s out of breath she hangs out not too far from where they came in, watching Kuma chew on the rope and play with it not far from her. She feels happier knowing that it didn’t take him long at all to warm up to her. He notices Nozomi’s stopped to take a breather and walks over to join her, his tail wagging a bit as he does.

 “You’re very cute Kuma. Like a big teddy bear!” Nozomi says, holding her hand out for him to sniff again. He gives it a few sniffs and she takes this as a sign he’ll let her pet him, and she does with a bit of caution. She pats his back a couple times and smiles at how soft his long, shaggy, dark brown coloured coat is. Kuma sits down next to her, drooling on the toy in his mouth and taking a break with her.

 “You’ve been through a lot, huh?” she says, knowing the dog can’t answer. His attention is still on her as she pats him. She glances over to her parents, noticing they’re talking with Hibiki again. She’s happy they’re distracted and she whispers a small confession to the dog.

“I know how it feels to be lonely. I’m sorry you’ve been lonely for so long.” She hesitates with her pets and Kuma stares at her with the toy still in his mouth. “Maybe you won’t have to be anymore…”   
  
With that thought in mind, she decides to head back over to her parents and Hibiki and see what they think. She moves back towards them, a smile on her face and Kuma following not far behind her, still chewing on the rope in his mouth. As they get closer, Nozomi can catch small snippets of the conversation they have.

“-- decided against him because of his size, mostly. He’s gunna get a bit bigger than he already is and most families didn’t want him to get any bigger.”

“Mhm... He is quite a big dog. It could be troublesome.” 

 Nozomi stops when she hears the serious tone in her father’s voice. The kind she usually heard when he came home with news about moving. Her chest twinges and her expression becomes neutral. She discards all hope about adopting Kuma and does her best to hide her disappointment. Nozomi’s mother catches sight of her once she’s stepped closer and she smiles.

“Did you two have fun? It certainly looked like it.” She teases. Nozomi nods a bit but says nothing as she looks to Kuma when he stops next to her. She reaches over and pets the back of his neck and tries not to look at her parents or Hibiki.

“That’s great to hear!” Hibiki says, looking at Kuma and laughing. “That’s the face of a happy pooch. He definitely had a good time with you.”

Nozomi tries really hard not to frown and decides it’s best to leave while they can.

“I’m feeling a little hungry,” she starts, “Is it okay if we go get something to eat now?”

The group of adults looks surprised, as if they are expecting her to say something else. Nozomi regrets asking about it- maybe there’s a chance they’re going to reconsider the idea of taking Kuma home with them. But what’s been said has been said and Nozomi doesn’t take it back. Her mother speaks after a moment.

“Well, sure, yeah, we can go get dinner now if you’d like.” She says slowly. “Did you want to say goodbye to Kuma first?”

Nozomi looks to the dog, who’s placed his butt down next to her and still holds the toy. He glances up to her with a questioning gaze and Nozomi can feel her tears pricking at the edges of her eyes. It isn’t fair, but she doesn’t want to hear her parents say no. She gives him a small pat and mumbles good bye before moving closer to her parents. Hibiki takes this time to clip the leash back on his collar and -as if realizing what’s about to happen- Kuma drops the rope in his mouth and lets it hit the ground. Both he and Nozomi stare at each other for what feels like hours until Nozomi turns steps away, heading back inside. She watches as Hibiki leads Kuma back to his kennel, but he makes sure to glance over to her one final time before she went out of view. 

Nozomi bites her lip and makes her way back to the lobby. Her parents exit the kennels with Hibiki, chatting with her as they do. They thank her for showing them around and letting Nozomi spend some time playing with Kuma. 

When they exit and get into their car, Nozomi’s mother turns around and watches Nozomi as she buckles herself in.

“Nozomi?” She calls. Nozomi looks at her and her mother smiles. “You’re sure none of the animals there spoke to you?” 

She knows this is probably her final chance- to tell them it’s not true and she really wants to take Kuma home with them, but she thinks about the bits of conversation she heard. She wants to give him the home he deserves but the end of the conversation makes her feel too anxious to ask. What if her parents don’t want him? He may possibly have been Nozomi’s new friend, but it wouldn’t feel great having a pet that her parents didn’t want too. She nods her head and looks out the window. 

“Well… if you’re sure then.”

 With that being said, her father turns on the car and Nozomi stares at the shelter outside her window. She watches it until the car pulls out of the parking lot and they drive away. She does her best not to sigh too loudly and instead grabs her bag, pulling the book she’d be reading in class out, trying to distract herself from her thoughts.

* * *

 

  Nozomi sighs a bit as she changes from her indoor shoes back into her outdoor pair. Some of her peers found out it was her birthday and wished her a happy one, so school wasn’t as bad as it could have been. She prepares herself for her walk home and makes sure everything is in her bag before exiting the doors and walking through the yard. She thinks about dinner and remembers that her mother prepared something for her the night before, after they got back from the restaurant.

 As she thinks about the easy cooking she’ll have, she exits the schoolyard and notices a familiar car parked in one of the spots across the street. Her eyes light up when she sees her father wave from the driver’s side. Surprised, Nozomi quickly hurries to the crosswalk to see what her parents are doing there instead of at work. She reaches the car in almost no time and climbs into the back without waiting.

 “Dad?! What are you doing here?!” She asks, both excited and a little nervous. “I thought both you and mom had a late shift today.”

 “We did.” Nozomi’s father says, looking up into the rearview mirror and smiling. “I made a deal with a coworker of mine and asked if he was able to swap with me. We’re going to go pick up your mother now. We’ve got a surprise for you.” 

 Nozomi is definitely shocked and she smiles excitedly. He rummages through the bag on the passenger's side and tosses a blindfold to her with a grin. Nozomi catches it and stares at him with a lifted eyebrow. 

“Mom’s request. Cover your eyes, Nozomi.” 

 She hates that he knows it’s going to drive her curiosity nuts but she does it anyway, humouring him and covering up her eyes. She leans back in her seat and her father begins to drive. Her mind swarms with different ideas her parents may have done to surprise her. It can’t be food related- they already did that yesterday. Are they taking her to the shrine in the next town over? She hasn’t been there in a long time- it’d be nice to visit there again. They could be taking her somewhere new, but Nozomi imagines she’d have the chance to change out of her uniform if that were the case.

It isn’t long before the car turns and slows down to a stop. Her father turns the car off and he peaks in the mirror to make sure Nozomi’s eyes are covered. He smiles when he see’s the concerned frown on Nozomi’s face.

“Are we waiting on mom now?” She asks.

 The door next to her suddenly opens and Nozomi jolts. Her mother laughs and apologizes for startling her before placing a large shaped box on her lap. Nozomi grunts from the additional weight. 

“Mom?!” 

“Sorry Nozomi, this door was closest and as you can tell, it’s a bit heavy. Dear, can you help me with the ‘ _groceries_ ’?!”  

“Of course!”

The way her mother says groceries makes Nozomi a little suspicious and she moves the box from her lap onto the seat next to her, sliding it down so it’s closer to the door. She waits patiently until she can hear the front doors open and her father and mother getting back into the car. 

“You didn’t peak at all, did you Nozomi?” Her mom asks and Nozomi shakes her head.

“I didn’t!” Nozomi answers excitedly, beginning to bombard her parents with questions. “What’s the box of stuff? Why can’t I see it? Does it have anything to do with where we’re going?”

Nozomi’s mother laughs before answering everything she’s asked.

 “I can’t tell you; it’s a surprise; and yes. Any more questions?”

 None come to mind so Nozomi shakes her head.

 “Excellent. Let’s go then!” 

After another not so long car ride, they come to a stop. Nozomi squirms in her seat eagerly, wanting to reach up and take the blindfold off. She doesn’t, knowing her mother has a keen eye on her and is making sure she won’t take it off. She can hear her father exit the car and she unbuckles her seatbelt, knowing this is definitely the final destination.

 “Okay Nozomi, stay right there and I’ll come over and help you out of the car. Just trust me a bit and it’ll all be worth it, okay? I’ll let you know when you can take the blindfold off.” 

 “Okay!” 

 Soon her door is opening again and Nozomi gets herself out of the car, letting her mother loop her arm with hers. She steps carefully and listens to her mom as she guides her away from the car and somewhere else. They come to a door and her mom pulls it open, letting her step inside first. It sounds like they’re in a big room and Nozomi’s brows furrow as she can hear the sound of a phone ringing in the distance. There’s no smell of food, so they haven’t entered a restaurant of any sorts. It does smell very clean, and very familiar as well.

 “We’re here!” Her mother says, a hint of excitement in her voice. “Nozomi, are you ready for your surprise.”

 Nozomi hesitates a bit, still trying to figure out where she is, but she soon nods. 

“Okay! Take off your blindfold!” 

Without waiting any longer, Nozomi lifts her hands up and pulls the cloth around her eyes down. She squints a bit as the dim lighting hits her eyes and she immediately recognizes the shelter from the day before. She stares around and not even three feet ahead of her stands her father and Kuma, sitting patiently beside him with his tongue hanging out and a wearing a light brown harness. Nozomi’s mouth gapes and she looks to her mom and dad for some kind of answer as her eyes water with tears that threaten to fall. Her mother laughs and sighs.

“Oh, sweetheart you’re going to make me cry if you look at me like that.” She wipes at her eyes and laughs again as she continues. “We saw how happy you were when you were playing with him yesterday, Hibiki-san said out of all the families to visit, Kuma seemed the most playful and happiest with you. There was no way we couldn’t let you leave without him.”

“We were so sure you were going to ask us to take him home with us yesterday, and we were ready to tell you it had to wait until we bought everything he needs.” Her father chuckles as he holds onto Kuma’s leash. “But then you changed your mind for some reason.” 

Nozomi knows they want an answer and she looks down.

 “I--I was afraid you’d tell me we couldn’t keep him, so I didn’t want to get my hopes up.” 

 She can feel her mother’s hand rubbing her back soothingly before pulling her into a side hug. Nozomi leans into her and rubs her eyes. Her mother laughs softly and squeezes her.

 “We know how hard it’s been on you, with the both of us working all the time. You don’t talk much about having friends at school and we know that part of the reason might be because we have to move around a lot for our jobs. Your father and I talked for a long time about this and we decided when you were old enough we’d get you whatever pet you wanted.”

 “We’re just happy that you were able to meet one who makes you happy.” Her father chuckles lightly.

 Nozomi gazes at the dog that patiently sits next to him. He’s been staring at Nozomi the whole time with a happy expression on his face. It’s as if he knows he’s not going to be going back to the kennels in the other room. Nozomi smiles brightly and lets go of her mother, walking over to Kuma and holding her hand out in a small fist to him. He sniffs it only once before giving it a small kiss and Nozomi laughs. She opens up her hand and Kuma presses his face against it, asking for more affectionate pets. She laughs again and kneels down a bit, wanting to pet his face with both of her hands.

“You wanna come home with me, Kuma?” She asks him in a gentle voice. He leans in and paps his wet nose against her face and she giggles, not used to the sensation. 

Her mother brings a camera out of her bag and suggests they take a picture to commemorate the moment before they get Kuma into the car and bring him to his new home. Nozomi is handed the leash from her father and she stands directly beside her new friend. The tears prick at her eyes again but it’s not unwelcome anymore. This is one of the happiest moments of her life and she’s allowed to cry if she wants to! Her mother brings the camera up and grins. 

“On three, say ‘Best day ever!” 

Nozomi laughs at her mother’s silly comment, but she does it anyway the moment her mother reaches number three.

“Best day ever!” 

* * *

 

Later that evening, after a second, homemade birthday dinner and showing Kuma the ropes around the house, Nozomi lies in her bed with a book in her hands. It’s a bit worn, and a book her father mentions having when he was young and lived at home with his parents and their dogs. Beside her, lying comfortably in the spot he’s claimed as his own, Kuma snores with his head in her lap. His back leg kicks a bit and Nozomi almost laughs, wondering what he might be dreaming about.

There’s a small knock at her door and she turns to see her mother standing there in her pyjamas. She leans against the door frame and takes in the sight before her and smiles. Nozomi returns it and marks the spot she’s at in her book before placing it down on the night stand.

“Did you have a good birthday?” She asks her in a soft voice.

Nozomi quickly nods.

“Mhm. It’s been the best birthday yet.” She glances at the pooch that sleeps unphased by the conversation and she strokes his head gently. “Thank you, Mom.” 

Her mother chuckles and she walks over to her, leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head.

“You’re welcome, sweetheart.”

She pats the top of Kuma’s head gently and tells Nozomi she’ll see her after work tomorrow. She gives her a few instructions, reminding her not to forget brushing her teeth and that Kuma needs to go on a small morning walk after they have breakfast. When that’s done she gives Nozomi one last kiss and wishes her goodnight, turning off Nozomi’s lamp before leaving. Nozomi lies back into her pillows and yawns, tired from all of the day’s events. She smiles a bit when Kuma presses himself against her more and she reaches over to stroke him gently.

She falls asleep just like that; her hand on top of him and his head still in her lap.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, commenting, and leaving kudos ;w;! It means a lot to me!
> 
> In no particular order, here are the pets used throughout this fic:  
> Menma,the fat cat that isn't good with children  
> Sunny the other at grey stripped cat in cage with the fluffy kitten, who is Daisy.  
> Milly, the solid grey cat.  
> Zelda, the colourful orange and grey kitty with the pom pom  
> Zeus, the shy orange cat  
> Zushi, the tuxedo cat uninterested in Nozomi.
> 
> Faith (or alternatively, pooh bear) The german shepherd  
> Chance, the sleepy pooch with the funny backstory  
> Donner, the smol chihuahua mix  
> Buddy, The rottweiler mix  
> Buckley, the bordercollie mix.
> 
> I think I named all of them? If I missed one I'll quickly come back and edit this note jfngdfjk.  
> Thanks again for reading friends!!


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